Well I have been in 3 trucks since my last post and lots have been going on. So here goes.
Well I got into that truck the following day, at 4am as the load needed to be in Halifax, Nova Scotia by 10am and it is a five and half hour drive. On the way down, an owner operator with Ayr came flying past me and I was doing 65mph. So much for all trucks been restricted. When I arrived at the drop, he was there already on the bay. When I took the paperwork in they said I was to back on the same bay when he had been unloaded. Two hours and three episodes of Smallville later, he was done and I backed onto the bay. Another two more hours and three more episodes of Smallville and I was done, so I pulled off the bay and got out to shut the trailer doors. As I’m shutting the first, the wind fetched it out my hands and it bashed up against the side of the trailer and three of four hinges brake, so I quickly grab the door hoping to close it before the last one broke. The wind was still pushing it as it slowly twists towards me with the last hinge bending. Im stood there trying to hold it up, arms stretched up. These two Canadian drivers say looks like you need an hand, then just waltz over. Typical Canadians, really laid back, no rush as I struggle to hold this door.
Anyway we get them both shut and luckily the repair shop was just round the corner. Another four hours later and six more episodes of Smallville (they know how to hang the job out too) and im finally on my way. I made my collection and back to Woodstock for half a day off for my sons birthday outing. Just time to have a shower then off to play we go. We all went to a place in Fredericton. It was a bowling ally with kids play structure and arcade games. We all had a great time. The bowling was not like I’m used to. The ball was the size of a bowling green ball, and the pins like sticks. (I know Canada is 30 years behind, but I thought they would have had at least proper 10 pin bowls) lol.
We never got round to bowling though, too much fun on the rest.
I went back on the road the following day. And my first drop was in Lawrenceville, Virginia. It rained all the first day down. Not the normal rain either. Some of the time it was the really hard fast stuff you get over here. The first time I experienced it, I wondered what was going on. It comes that hard and fast you just can not see anything in front of you. The wipers on full blast is just a waist of time. You may as well turn them off, you would only see the same….NOTHING. I never seen anything like it in the UK. The pictures I took don’t make it look that bad as they only show you a split second, but when your there, its bad.
The following day was lovely weather again. The temp reached 20 again. (I do love driving south in the winter) lol
I got to my delivery that night, first in the queue for off loading in the morning. After been unloaded and trailer cleaned and dried. Off I set to my collection which was not till the afternoon, but when I was half way there, I get a new reload, ready straight away, just down the road in North Carolina. Great no hanging around, yea right. When I get there along with several other trucks, and give them my pick No. I’m told another truck is just been loaded with that. A phone call later I get a new pick up No. but still waited hours to load. We was all parked at the opposite end of the building to the docks and this dude came knocking on my door on this little golf kart, and said to make my way to be loaded. Now you would think because I’m English, Americans would understand what you said….WRONG. I may as well talk Chinese sometimes, they would understand me just as well, 1x No.12 2x No.15 lol.
I said the bays near the train lines, “eh” the bays near the train tracks, “eh” The RAIL ROAD…“arrrr yesss” he said. OMG it is soooo hard sometimes talking to them. If you don’t pronouns words the way they do, some look at you gone out. Like going to subway and asking for tomato. You have to say Tom-a-da. You say garage, you have to say G-rrrrage its funny watching their face look puzzled. Then you have to think what you have said then repeat it like they would say it, just so they understand you. I have to do it all the time.
I did not like backing on there bay either. You had to stop on the rail crossing to back in the gate, on to the bay. That made me very nervous.
I was taking a pic of the Cream car with fat wheels on
but I was too slow, but you can see the rail crossing I had to stop on
Soon as I was loaded. Off to our yard near Montreal I went. Again two days drive back. I was crossing the border at the 1000 islands again, this happened to me last time. I would be getting really close to the border and it would be snowing really hard, lots of snow on the ground, then as you get to the top of this hill and go over the other side. The snow just instantly stops and there is none to be seen, not even on the ground. Its like driving into another world, but I notice weather is like that here. One second its massive snow storms or rain. Next its clear blue skies and sunny. Still could be minus 15 though, but you know what I mean. I dropped my trailer the second night then got an empty and went straight for my collection in Joliette, Quebec. They wanted me to drop it at Woodstock by 1pm the following day, so once loaded I drove for as long as my hours would let me, then drove the rest the following day. During this trip I had asked for a couple of days off as it was my wife’s birthday on the Sunday, so I could take her out on the Saturday or something. The message I got back was, we have more trucks coming back than I have drivers to fill them. Meaning NO. so I said her birthday was on the Sunday so see what you can do. When I got back to Woodstock, I went into the office to see what the plan was. I was to get into my next truck that night and be back Sunday. Well least they did what they could to keep them and me happy. So I went home for a few hours before getting into the truck that night. It had rained the day before so most of the snow had been washed away. I could actually see most of my land again. Short lived though as I pull in the garage, it started to snow again. I had started to get a really bad cold. Well Emma and all the kids had already had the same for a couple of days. We must have got it from the Bowling place, as thinking back, that was the first place I had been to with no hand sanitizer dispensers. It seams to be the norm here in Canada since the swine flu thing. Where ever you go to public places. There is always these hand sanitizer dispensers either on the walls or on free standing stands for you to help yourself to when ever you enter these places like shopping malls and supermarkets service areas etc. even when the kids go to school or play groups. They have to wash their hands when they first get there. It was only a couple of weeks ago I was thinking, none of the kids had had a single sniffle since they lived here in Canada, one of the coldest countries in the world. Back in the UK they would have a runny nose from the start of winter till spring, every year. But not here, well till last week after the Bowling place. They have all shook it off again now though. Next time we go there we will take our own sanitizer. I think my cold reached its peak that afternoon as I needed to go to bed for a couple of hours. I got to my truck at midnight to find it still in the shop been worked on. 2am I rolled out and straight into the truckstop next door. The snow had really kicked up a gear and was already 6” on the roads again, so thought waist of time driving in that as hopefully the roads will have been cleared by time I get up…. Yea right. Still coming strong, roads cleared but covered again, I set off. By the time I get to Quebec, the winds was high causing whiteout conditions, which is worst than the densest fog you have ever seen.
I could only just see the blind spot mirrors you see in most of my photos on the front of the truck some of the time. Two trucks must have gone into the ditch at the same time.
Another truck warned me over the CB just before I could see them, then a car a couple of miles further down the road must have run straight into the back of a snow plow in the fast lane as they only travel at 20mph, and they would not have seen him clearing that lane till it was too late.
Conditions improved by time I had reached Montreal. Still minus 16 though, so the bill boards said. Another driver asked me over the CB what the weather was like behind me. When I told him, he sounded well chuffed…NOT lol. I dropped my trailer in Montreal, and the shunter driver pulled at the passenger side of me to get the paperwork. Like an idiot, I got out the truck without my coat on. OMG with the wind chill factor it must have been minus 30. My nose hairs instantly froze up, and my ears nearly dropped off the side of my head. Luckily I had put a jumper on for the first time since I moved to Canada. Only because the older International’s get a draft through the door trim and it was making my arm cold. So this time I thought I would put a jumper on. (for you North Americans, Sweater) lol
I soon jumped back in the truck for my coat and hat. Not my normal hat either. My big one finally came out.
Ski-Doo tracks down the icy St Johns River
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